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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. lean — thin
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. perch — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chip — to eat
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. march — music
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. vault — in gymnastics

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com